Lynn plays role of Secretary of Defense for Washington Post cyberattack exercise

LYNN PLAYS ROLE OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR WASHINGTON POST CYBERATTACK EXERCISE

Whether it is a terrorist group, a group of hackers or a sophisticated nation, Bill Lynn believes that the threat of cyberattack is imminent and more drastic measures must be taken to defend our cyber-vulnerable nation.

The convergence of two dangerous trends

ARLINGTON, VA, October 10, 2013 -- In his post-simulation analysis, Bill outlines two major trends that are converging to create a potentially dangerous environment for the United States.

• Greater destructiveness. While cyberthreats currently primarily consist of theft of data or money, there has been a trend of escalation and disruption that may eventually lead to much greater consequences.

• Greater maliciousness. Cyberthreats can come from any group of people with the technological capabilities, no matter how limited their resources. This applies to terrorist groups, extremist groups and hacker organizations, as well as sophisticated nations.

Bill emphasizes that we must act first, and act fast to ensure that the United States infrastructure does not come under attack. We must consider IT as a domain of warfare in which we operate and defend — and create more secure networks within which to share our critical data and information.